A Huntsville area woman is reportedly Alabama's first case of the Chikungunya virus. Thomas Miller, Chief Medical Officer of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said the woman has fully recovered from her illness. "We actually had our first case last week and she got infected while she was in Haiti". The mosquito-borne virus has now been reported in Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas and Florida. The virus causes fever, muscle and joint pain and swollen joints. The disease is not normally fatal but can be for those with a compromised immune systems. The disease is widespread in Africa, Asia and the Carribean, is traced to Asian tiger and yellow fever mosquitos. Once bitten symptoms usually appear between four and eight days but can range from two to 12 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no vaccine for the virus. Early symptoms include high fever, joint and muscle pain, headache, fatigue, nausea and rash.

Meteo-tsunami is rare, tsunami-like, wave phenomenon of meteorological origin. Unlike tsunamis (Japanese word meaning “harbor wave"), which are caused by earthquakes or underwater landslides, meteo-tsunamis are caused by quick atmospheric pressure variations over relatively small areas. They are created when atmospheric disturbance wave resonance matches the open sea waves. Though the wave can be only 20 cm high and hardly observed when created, it can quickly grow as it approaches the coastline and cause serious damage and loss of lives.

Meteo-tsunami is rare, tsunami-like, wave phenomenon of meteorological origin. Unlike tsunamis (Japanese word meaning “harbor wave"), which are caused by earthquakes or underwater landslides, meteo-tsunamis are caused by quick atmospheric pressure variations over relatively small areas. They are created when atmospheric disturbance wave resonance matches the open sea waves. Though the wave can be only 20 cm high and hardly observed when created, it can quickly grow as it approaches the coastline and cause serious damage and loss of lives.

Recent observations from the largest solar telescope on Earth reveal a never-before-seen look at fine structures on the sun.

The measurements, taken at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) in California, show that sunspots, once considered relatively quiet regions, can be surprisingly active. The telescope also captured images of unusual events known as three-ribbon solar flares, a powerful rearrangement of the sun's magnetic field that is associated with the eruption of charged material into space. You can watch a video of the sun's detailed structure as seen by the BBSO.

Went out to get the mail. There's a rainbow around the sun! Also, about 10 min ago, just sitting here, got a really crazy left ear tone. It's was long, like 10-15 seconds, both ears popped and I felt funny for 2 min after. Like when you are in a car, heading up the Mountain. It was one of those tones where out of just one ear, it's like you go deaf, but for the long ring. Then the ring stops, and sound comes back. Weird and anyone else get crazy ear tones like that?[Sun] [link to i59.tinypic.com] [Sunn] [link to i61.tinypic.com] The neighbor planted a brand new little rose bush quite a few months ago. It's already blooming. I didn't know a small, new rose plant could bloom so soon.[Baby Roses] [link to i60.tinypic.com]

Swarm’s early assessment appears to support the prevailing view that this magnetic cloak in general is weakening.

Many experts believe it heralds a flip in the poles, where north becomes south and vice versa, although it would take thousands of years to complete. That said, nobody knows how long the changes have been taking place and some scientists believe it is a continuous process and that as soon as the magnetic pole flips, the gradual march towards the next flip begins.

"Lately there has been a bumper crop of sprites," reports Thomas Ashcraft, a longtime observer of the phenomenon. "Here is one of the largest' 'jellyfish' sprites I have captured in the last four years." The cluster shot up from western Oklahoma on June 23, so large that it was visible from Ashcraft's observatory in New Mexico 289 miles away...''